Think like a bicyclist!
1) Spread your weight
Basically if you are road unicycling for any period of time, you should
set up the seat more like a bike seat. Bicyclists can ride for hours
at a time because of the ability to distribute their weight evenly
between their handlebars and the seat. A unicycle handle should be
used to distribute some of your body weight, so bend down and lean on
your handle. I tend to ride with quite a low posture (like a
bicyclist), with my back at about 45 degrees when I'm riding hard. It
also lowers your centre of gravity and lets you go faster.
2) Get off your seat
Another thing you can do is get off the seat every now and then (eg
when climbing) to ease those pressure areas. Just like a bicyclist :p
3) Flatten your seat
Ever seen a bicycle seat curve upwards to squash your squishy bits? No,
bicyclists wouldn't tolerate curved bike seats, neither should you. I
think unicycles seats developed the curve because, historically, there
have not been any good handles to rest your weight on.
Also, unicycle seats originated from freestyle use, where you kept your
hands off the saddle and let your crotch do the steering/control.
There is no reason to do that on a road unicycle. Sit on your saddle,
not in it!
4) Use the shortest cranks possible.
Unicycles tend to run a very low gear, hence causing a lot of bouncing
force when pedalling fast. In contrast, bicyclists are generally
pushing against more force on their pedals, which gives them a small
amount of lift off the saddle*. You can mimic this on a unicycle by
using the shortest cranks that you can comfortably pedal for the
terrain. Greater force to turn the pedal (due to less leverage from
shorter cranks), mean that you get some of this "lift". As a bonus,
there will be less chopping (and chafing) of your limbs flailing up and
down on long cranks, you will track in a straighter line, and you will
also go faster and in better control.
Just my 2c worth,
Ken Looi
*try riding a bike in very low gear (not just spinning fast), but
rather stick it in a ridiculously low gear and see how fast you can
pedal. Now see how far you go before getting sore in your squishy
areas from all that low resistance bouncing force.
--
GizmoDuck
The Uninam Tour 2008.....Hanoi to Saigon!!!
www.uninam.net
Email me for details.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GizmoDuck's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/794
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/63880
Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
** SPEED ** RETENTION ** COMPLETION ** ANONYMITY **
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com
